


Mark The Occasion

by echoflowertea



Series: Open Requests [28]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Female Reader, Reader Is Not Frisk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-08-13 06:32:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7966201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/echoflowertea/pseuds/echoflowertea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Not every secret you keep is pleasant and they shouldn’t be shouldered alone. The skelebros know that, so today they have the perfect window of opportunity to set things right.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mark The Occasion

**Author's Note:**

> **prompt** : I have a story request? A little angst but a lot of fluff with Sans and Papyrus. Where the anniversary of the reader's father's death is coming up and she's been acting off but the brothers don't know about that date. And the reader tries to hide it not wanting to worry them. But they find out and fluff happens? Thanks! ^_^
> 
> [ **check out my tumblr!** ](http://echoflowertea.tumblr.com)

“she’s been sittin’ out there for an hour.”

“DO YOU THINK MAYBE SHE FELL ASLEEP SITTING UP? I WOULDN’T PUT IT PAST HER, SHE IS VERY TALENTED!”

Sans shook his head and pulled away from the window. Cogs turning in his head. “think we should ask her what’s up?”

“I’M NOT SURE. IF SHE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT IT, THEN WOULDN’T SHE HAVE MENTIONED SOMETHING?”

The both of them were at a loss. You were normally a pretty cheerful person, someone that brightened their day with boundless enthusiasm and affection. It was why they loved you. After knowing you for this long, they thought that they had your mannerisms to a tee. But it looked like there were still some things that escaped them.

Sans had no clue what it could’ve been. You guys didn’t have any unpleasant experiences together in the last week, which was when your attitude started to shift. You seemed much more lethargic, though, enough that he thought maybe you were getting sick. He kept an eye on you when he could, wondering if maybe it was someone outside of his knowledge wearing down your attitude through unpleasant interactions. Bullying, maybe? Just being rude to you at work? But he couldn’t find any shred of evidence that supported that theory.

Papyrus was more than worried, but he tried to put on a brave face. He wasn’t going to pour over this and worry unless it spiraled out of control, but every day he found himself more concerned than the last. Just yesterday, the both of you went to the cotton candy festival and you barely touched the giant tuft of fluff before handing it off for him to consume. He thought maybe you were just being thoughtful, considering the spun sugar was one of his favorites, but then he realized he hadn’t even seen you eat any food with gusto like you usually did.

They sat down on the couch and brainstormed.

“hey, you know that photo album she was lookin’ at yesterday? why don’t you go grab it?”

Papyrus gasped and rushed to your room. It was a staple in the household, something that you guys added to constantly. Between Papyrus’s photogenic face and Sans snapping pics of his latest pranks and inventions, you had an entire collage chock full of memories over the years.

“OH…THIS IS A BOOKMARKED PAGE. THERE IS A SLIP OF PAPER IN HERE.”

Sans peered over his brother’s shoulder while they sprawled out on the floor. It looked like a handwritten note, but it was a little hard to decipher given the age of the paper and the way it’d been folded repeatedly over the years. He delicately lifted it and turned it over in his hands, marveling at the traces of your SOUL lingering along the words.

“huh. well, what page is it?”

Papyrus hummed and peered down at it, running the tip of his finger along the header, date and time. “IT LOOKS LIKE…FAMILY PHOTOS!”

“hmm…”

They stared together. Baby pictures of you. Those were Papyrus’s favorite, since he always boasted about how you were the most beautiful human he could’ve fallen for. And seeing you in the earliest stages of your development made his heart melt. Metaphorically, of course, since he really only had a SOUL beneath his ribcage hidden away with magic.

“heh, look at this. food all over her face.”

“OH MY GOD, IT’S DISGUSTINGLY CUTE??? I WOULD NEVER WANT HER NEAR ME WITH A FIST FULL OF PEA PUREE, BUT OTHERWISE YES, I WOULD HOLD AND CUDDLE HER FOREVER!”

The both of them flipped through. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Just a regular old timeline full of your milestones, family in the pictures and everything. Sans couldn’t see why you would make this such a big thing, but maybe he was missing something?

They got to the last page that you’d written on. It was a note about…your dad. Scribbled with care underneath a photo of him.

There was a date.

Beginning…to end.

Oh.

“WAIT A SECOND, DOES THIS MEAN THAT…”

“that’s tomorrow.”

“I SEE…”

So that was what you were upset about. An anniversary. And not a pleasant one, either. Something that would’ve taken your attention for good reason. They had a thousand questions for you, wanting to know more, but also recognizing that it wasn’t their place to pry.

“SO WHAT DO WE DO? OUR GIRLFRIEND IS SAD AND IT’S GOING TO BE EVEN WORSE TOMORROW.”

“welp. guess we all need to take the day off.”

You finished soaking up the sun and getting lost in your thoughts. It was…a little hard to get your mind off things when you had nothing to distract you. At work you could focus on getting things done, interacting with other people and letting the hours fly by. But when you were at home, it was a whole ‘nother ballgame. While the brothers were attentive and wonderful, they often gave you space when they thought you needed it. It was no question that they’d noticed, if only a little, the sour mood you’d been in lately.

You sighed. You really hadn’t wanted this. To worry them. You cared about them so much, and it seemed…selfish to relay all of this complex emotions on them. They didn’t deserve to be bogged down by something so personal of yours, especially because they had far more pressing things to be concerned about in their own lives. So as much as you wanted them to be aware of everything, you also knew that the last thing you wanted was for them to fuss over you.

Maybe it was silly. Maybe you should’ve just come outright and told them. But there was always this niggling feeling in the back of your head that told you not to be a burden. That you didn’t deserve to bring down their positive attitude with your own issues.

Oh well. After tomorrow, hopefully you would be able to get back into the groove and not focus so hard on the negative things.

So despite the ever-present ache in the center of your chest, you pulled yourself up from the grass and headed inside.

“hey babe, you got any time off from work saved up?”

You glanced up from zoning out. You hadn’t even been watching the program on TV despite Papyrus’s hilarious comments and reactions every few minutes.

“Um, yeah! I have a few hours. Why, what’s up?”

“we should spend some time together tomorrow. all three of us. if that’s ok.”

You thought about it briefly. If you went out with the both of them, you would be in an even more terrible mood than before. And you were positive you would end up ruining whatever they had planned.

“Ah, no. That’s okay. You guys should go, though.”

Sans sighed. “that’s a real shame. i already called in work and let ‘em know i was usin’ my vacation time, and what we’ve got planned is really only good for three people.”

You swallowed. Ugh, Sans! You appreciated his kindness, but you were just trying to save him from being dragged down all day. He had enough of that in his lifetime and you didn’t want to concern him even more.

“Well, if you’re sure…”

“WE ARE POSITIVE!” Papyrus handed the remote off to you. “IT IS GOING TO BE VERY FUN, YOU WILL SEE! AND CAN YOU PLEASE CHANGE THE CHANNEL TO SOMETHING YOU LIKE? I CANNOT TRUST MYSELF NOT TO GET SUCKED INTO ANOTHER INCREDIBLE EPISODE OF THIS SOAP OPERA.”

You did as he asked, a thin smile on your face. You were going to regret this; you just knew it. You would have to make it up to them later somehow.

When you woke up the next morning, you already felt the dread settle on your shoulders. You reached over to check for any notifications on your phone and saw the date sprawled up at the top. Damn it. With an arm over your face, you reclined back in bed and wished that you could just fall back asleep and be done with everything already.

“mornin’. lookin’ good, babe.”

You sat up abruptly, blinking blearily at the shadowy figures that lingered in your doorway. “What are you guys doing here?”

“let ourselves in. t’give you this.”

Sans set down a tray on the bed. Breakfast in bed, really? You laughed despite yourself and gazed at all of your favorite things displayed so beautifully and professionally. Papyrus had really outdone himself. He handed off forks for all three of you to dig in, both of the brothers lounging around on your bed and stealing bites every once in a while.

“So what’s the plan for today, guys?”

“IT’S A SECRET! WE HAVE CONSTRUCTED AN INTENSE AND WONDERFUL DAY FULL OF SURPRISES AND AMAZING, FUN THINGS! YOU WILL ENJOY THEM IMMENSELY!”

You grinned at his confidence. “Okay, give me at least half an hour to get ready.”

“OKIE DOKIE. SANS AND I ARE GOING TO CLEAN THIS UP.” Papyrus turned to his brother, but he was already gone. “…I AM GOING TO CLEAN THIS UP!!!”

You stared at yourself in the bathroom mirror and slapped your cheeks to wake yourself up. All cleaned up and ready to go. You had no clue what this trip was going to entail, but you knew the brothers well enough that it was going to knock your socks off either way. You had to be prepared for anything.

You stepped out and nearly jumped when you spotted both brothers waiting patiently outside the door for you.

“Uh…I take it you guys are ready to go?”

“ABSOLUTELY! NOW, TAKE MY HAND. I PROMISE IT IS NOT A TRICK, I JUST LIKE THE WAY YOURS FEELS IN MINE.” You did as he asked, feeling your face get hot. “EXCELLENT. NOW WE ARE DRIVING TO OUR FIRST STOP! SANS, MAKE SURE YOU BRING…THE THING!!!”

You wondered where it was that they were taking you, but enjoyed the scenery anyway. Given that everyone else was at work, the roads were clear the most part. You left the neighborhood and traveled far from the rest of the people, entering a more rural and open setting.

“Hmm…” You rolled down your window to inhale the fresh air, thankful for the lack of smog and cigarette smoke that seemed to permeate from the city miles away. “I’m a little afraid about where we’re going.”

“don’t worry about it, ok. just chill.” Sans picked something up and handed it to you. “look what i brought. your favorite mix.”

“Oh my gosh, seriously?” You popped it in the CD player. Papyrus’ car was a little old school that way, but it could hold six discs at once, which was pretty awesome. You turned up the volume and felt at ease with the familiar rhythm, sinking into the seat.

Maybe it was okay to take a little snooze.

“hey babe, we’re here.”

You unbuckled your seatbelt and stepped outside the car, stretching your arms high above your head. The weather was wonderful and warm, sunny skies and not a cloud in sight. You sighed at the pleasant tingle that it left in the pit of your stomach, taking in the scenery that stretched out before you.

“A botanical garden?”

“YES! IT IS QUITE NICE. I HAVE BEEN WANTING TO GO FOR AGES.” Papyrus picked up a small bag full of supplies. “WE ARE GOING TO SPEND SOME TIME HERE, IF THAT IS GOOD WITH YOU!”

You nodded. It was.

Maybe the brothers had no clue what was going on with you, but this…was a welcome surprise. The place was absolutely gorgeous. To the giant sign in the center of the entrance that had actual crawling vines along the concrete, it had a fantasyland type of feel. Where you might have landed in another dimension if you weren’t careful. Separated far from everything else, bright and warm and welcoming, all of it laid out for you three to explore.

You headed past the archway and glanced around. There were hedges trimmed in the shapes of animals, flowers budding on them in all their glory, petals quivering with the slight brush of wind. Reaching up toward the sky to the beams of light that nourished them and helped them grow. You went to touch one, loving the way that the softness of the petals felt along your skin, and drew your hand back when you realized that maybe you should’ve looked around for a sign.

“heh, don’t worry. it’s interactive. stuff like this has a little touch of magic to make sure the little kids don’t kill the plants, so your gentle touches ain’t gonna do much but make ‘em happy.”

Sans always knew just what to say. You went back to feeling all of the different textures of the greens around you. Tracing shapes along the leaves and dragging your hand along the rough, spindly needles that grew in bunches near one of the trees. All of it was so new and took your mind of a lot of things.

“THERE IS A LITTLE MAZE DOWN THE WAY, WE SHOULD SEE IF WE CAN SOLVE IT!”

It wouldn’t be a day with Papyrus without puzzles. You grinned and walked after him while he rushed forward, fully intending to conquer what they set up.

Sans trailed after you two, hands shoved in his pockets, his pace slow and steady. He would always catch up in the end, and that was what mattered.

You gazed at the tall hedges that towered even over Papyrus’s staggering height. He put a hand on his chin and squinted at them.

“I WOULD SAY THAT IT IS A SIMPLE CONFIGURATION, AS THEY WOULD NOT LIKE ANY GUESTS TO BE SERIOUSLY TRAPPED. WE WILL TRY THE THREE TURN SYSTEM!”

“Three turn system?”

“YES!” He took your hand and you grabbed Sans’s, the three of you heading past the welcome sign. “I WILL TAKE THREE TURNS AT THREE CROSSROADS. BY THE THIRD, I SHOULD HAVE THE PATTERN SET IN MY HEAD AND LEAD US STRAIGHT TO THE EXIT.”

“Whoa.”

“I KNOW, IT IS QUITE IMPRESSIVE. BUT MANY OF THESE MAZES ARE NOT AS RANDOM AS THEY WOULD LIKE TO THINK!”

You went straight ahead and, soon enough, came to a fork in the road.

“LEFT OR RIGHT?”

You were happy he asked you. “Um, left!”

You walked just a bit further before there was another decision to be made. Straight ahead, left, or right.

“WE WILL GO STRAIGHT THIS TIME!”

Down the cobblestone path. Everywhere there were amazing new scents for you to take in, fragrances that reminded you of home, love and happiness. Strange how all of this could trigger something so powerful in you. You took it all in stride, scanning over the various shapes and sizes of the plant life, discolorations and flaws and all.

Final turn. You, Papyrus and Sans glanced around.

“i say right.”

“OKIE DOKIE. HERE WE ARE.”

Papyrus tromped forward and you were surprised to see that it wasn’t a dead end like you thought it would be.

“EXCELLENT. I THINK I’VE GOT THE BASIC STRUCTURE DOWN!” He tapped his skull. “FOLLOW ME AND WE WILL COMPLETE THIS IN RECORD TIME!”

He was so excited. You couldn’t help but grin at Sans and gesture to his brother, the both of you laughing at his overzealousness.

Papyrus was determined to show off his puzzle solving, and you trusted him wholeheartedly. He had zero hesitation when he weaved his way around, and you could tell that you were making progress because the flora changed with every step you took forward. You wondered just how he managed to discern the entire layout in just a few tries, but it looked like you were really going to make it out of here!

At the final turn, Papyrus rushed ahead past the corner. When you finally stumbled on him, he put his hands on his hips and beamed, the giant ‘EXIT’ sign behind him. “NO ONE CAN DEFEAT THE GREAT PAPYRUS, MASTER PUZZLE SOLVER AND INCREDIBLE BOYFRIEND!!!”

You couldn’t very well argue with that. “I can’t believe you did it, Paps!”

“WELL, IT IS QUITE JARRING FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS NEVER SEEN ME IN ACTION BEFORE, I SUPPOSE.” He chuckled. “ANYWAY, LET’S CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE PLACE! THERE IS SOMETHING MORE EXCITING THAN THIS!”

You weren’t sure what that could be.

Sans stopped you before you could chase after him completely. All it took was a gentle squeeze of your hand and you cut short to glance down at him.

“hey. if you’re not havin’ fun, you can say so.”

“Are you kidding? This is amazing. It’s gorgeous out here. You guys did a phenomenal job picking something for us to do.”

“ok. just checkin’.” He looked bashful at the compliment. “s’go then.’

You broke through the next section and found Papyrus sitting down at one of the benches. Strange, he really didn’t like to be inactive for too long. As long as you’d known him he had always been moving and jumping around, gesturing animatedly and regarding everything with a flourish. But he had settled down just enough for you guys to take a seat.

You had to admit, the garden itself was pretty big, and that long trip through the maze was a bit tiring. You went to join him.

There was a small creek that fed into a river. With tiny little biodegradable cups and stacks of paper on a little stump. Pens, pencils and markers all in a tiny basket with a note that encouraged their use. And next to the water was a flowerbed, full of all types of different plants that thrived beautifully in the speckled, shadowed light.

“you know what this is?”

You turned to Sans, confused. This was…a little strange, if you were going to be honest. What was the point of all this?

“it’s for you…” He stepped backwards and his figure looked ethereal against the blooming backdrop. “for everyone that’s lost someone. y'know?”

Your heart dropped. You gazed at him for a moment, then looked at Papyrus. The both of them were waiting for your approval.

“I don’t…”

“look…we know that today’s a tough day. for you. every year. we can’t change that. can’t go back in time, can’t make things right…that’s not possible for us. but what we can do is maybe…” He trailed off. “bro, help me out here?”

“WHAT WE CAN DO IS MAKE SURE THAT THE FUTURE IS STILL SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO. AND WE CAN HELP YOU PAY YOUR RESPECTS TO A VERY SPECIAL PERSON THAT IS NO LONGER WITH YOU.”

Papyrus plucked a flower that suited his personality. Bright, colorful. Wonderfully unique, as there were no others like it. He nestled it in the cup with great care and bent down to the creek’s shore.

“heh…don’t talk about it much, but we know what it’s like to lose people, too.”

Sans chose something far more subdued in its appearance. A little strange considering it seemed more like a weed than anything. It was imperfect, the tips of the petals curling and browned. He didn’t seem to mind at all.

“SOMETIMES, IT FEELS GOOD TO DO SOMETHING SYMBOLIC. SO THAT YOU CAN REMEMBER HOW THEY WERE BEFORE THINGS HAPPENED.” Papyrus set it along the water, pinning it with his finger so it didn’t go drifting away. “THAT IS WHAT WE LIKE TO FOCUS ON, AT LEAST.”

“no use in sayin’ that you should just forget about ‘em, y’know?” Sans joined him on the ground. “doesn’t help. and it’s ok to get upset. it’s natural to be sad. especially when they meant so much to you.”

They waited for you to respond. You took a moment, rubbed at your eyes, and tried to stifle the growing lump in your throat.

It took a few more seconds before you could drop down and pick something you knew that your dad would’ve liked. Something that suited him. In the end, you went with your gut instinct and lifted it from its rooted place in the ground, cupping it in your hands and feeling the soft dirt trickle through the spaces between your fingers.

You picked the cup you wanted. Placed it in. And nestled between them at the creek’s edge.

“you ok to let go?”

“THERE’S NO RUSH. TAKE AS MUCH TIME AS YOU NEED.”

You sat there for a minute or two. Memories playing over in your head, thinking back to the years without him. How there would always be an emptiness this time of year. And while you necessarily couldn’t fill it permanently, since that was your weight to carry, you could at least lessen the load and make it less painful by surrounding yourself by people who cared for you. By giving him what gestures you could. Living your life to the fullest and knowing that was what he would have wanted instead of letting his death consume you.

Your fingers slipped out from the base of the cup and the current picked it up immediately, sending it on a steady path down the stream.

Papyrus and Sans followed suit.

No one said a word. There was just the light bubbling of the water, distant chirping from various birds flitting across the sky, and gentle buzzing of bees as they went to work on the flowers. You inhaled and exhaled, focusing on your breathing, squeezing your eyes tight as you finally let out that steady stream of tears that had been aching to come out.

Papyrus reached for your hand. So did Sans. Both of them just holding you for as long as you needed.

You felt much lighter by the end of it. Touched – so deeply – but the amount of thought that went into this. How you couldn’t even begin to fathom how they found out. But the fact was, both of your boyfriends were so unabashedly wonderful and you couldn’t imagine life without them at this point. How they managed to lift your spirits and take you out here, give you exactly the temporary closure that you needed, it was…more than you could’ve ever hoped for.

“I love you guys.”

“WE LOVE YOU, TOO!”

“yep. more’n anybody.”

You believed them.

After getting up and brushing off the remnants of dirt from your clothes, the three of you went over to take the rest of the tour. No one else was around, so you were able to get up close and personal with every single thing you wanted to touch and smell.

And the best part was, there was a small little snack shack where you could relax and just enjoy being here. You curled up on the bench and stared across the way, marveling at the vast expanse of the garden, when Papyrus fished out something from the bag he brought with him.

“What is that, Paps?”

“IT’S A PHOTO PRINTER! A MINI ONE. ISN’T IT CUTE?” He hooked his phone up to it. “I’M GOING TO DEVELOP ALL OF THE PICTURES WE TOOK HERE TODAY.”

“You took pictures?”

“YES. ALPHYS GAVE ME THIS NEATO MINI-CAMERA I ATTACHED TO MY SHIRT. I WANTED TO…CAPTURE THE DAY, BUT DID NOT WANT TO STOP AND HAVE YOU POSE AND RUIN THE MOMENT FOR WHAT IT WAS. IS THAT OKAY?”

You knew it was with good intentions, so you nodded. “Yeah! Of course.”

“GOODIE! IT WAS SANS’S IDEA. HE SAID THAT YOUR PHOTO ALBUM WAS LOOKING A BIT BARE THESE DAYS, SO THAT WE SHOULD FILL IT WITH MORE HAPPY MEMORIES OF OUR ULTIMATE DATING ADVENTURES.”

You glanced at Sans with a lifted brow. He muttered something about it not being a big deal, and it tickled you even more how red his face was getting.

“OOH, THIS ONE IS PERFECT!”

“hey, cut that out. don’t print that, i look dumb.”

“NYEH HEH HEH! LOOK, MY BROTHER’S EYES WERE HEARTS WHEN FOLLOWING YOU AROUND THE MAZE AND YOU HAD NO IDEA!”

You laughed and grabbed the gluesticks and scissors that Papyrus brought with him. A little bit of an art project to end the day, huh? The photo album was going to be swimming in positivity by the time you were done inserting everything.

On the drive home, you had a souvenir from the gardens – just a plastic flower, the same one you’d chosen to send away at the stream. That way, you could keep it near and not have to worry about throwing it out. You made the brothers get some of their own.

“SO! I THINK WE SHOULD WATCH A MOVIE AND SNUGGLE. I HEAR THE COUCH IS VERY NICE THIS YEAR!” Papyrus made a move to elbow you.

You burst out laughing. “I’ll go get the blanket!”

“count me in.”

While there were still a few hours left in the day, you found yourself not ruminating too much on the significance of it. It was going to stay with you for the rest of your life, but so were Sans and Papyrus.

They would make damn sure that every year they would provide you with enough love and patience to get you through the date unscathed.

**Author's Note:**

>  **please comment**! i love hearing from you!
> 
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